The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-03-12
A BLIND INVENTOR.
by Touch Measuring More Accurately Than
Those Who Can See.
From N Xieunu Di,patgh

by Touch Measuring More Accurately Than
Those Who Can See.
From a Vienna Dispatch
have had the opportunity of meeting
the inventor of the new rife, Herr Franz
Fortelka, a former Lieutenant in the
Austrian Army, who. during the first
campaign in Bosnia received shot in
his right eye. which destroyed the optic
nerve and indirectly So affected the left
eye that the poor officer, now only -
years old. has been for the last nine
years totally blind. But without the
use of his eyesight this ingenious man
has invented during these years not only
a new magazine rifle, hut also two ma
chimes for the authorization of iron, steel
and other metals, at a cost which must
be called ridcuiously small; further, an
apparatus for automatical mapping, a
new micrOmeter. new sort OF gun
powder, not to speak of smaller inven-
tons which found their way into the
lesser industrial establishments of Wen
ma and saved the inventor from starva-
ton, as his greater discoveries, far from
bringing money as vet. necessitate an
outlay which he can only afford by eX-
treme personal privations. My rifle
complained the unfortunate inventor.
would have long been in the hands of
British Government had the advance
money which | obtained from private
person in London. been more than f2o.
which did not suffice for the wages of
the one workman who assists me and
the necessary material Now at last IL
is finished, and. though l may fall into
the fault of all inventors, | consider it
the best rifle existing. being without the
disadvantages of other machine rifles.
and with MANY advantages over them.
can prove by my Austrian and German
patents of some five Years ago that the
straight pull system. (geradeZug) which
distinguishes every modern rifle. Mann
| licher. Schulhof. &C., and in itself
| without the machine. secures the double
| effect. has been my invention Upon
| this and upon other appropriations IN
| the same line by different successful in
ventors l do not lay any stress. There
| is my new rifle. which, in short, has the
following advantages: 1t can be- used as
| a single loader even with an attached
| magazine. the cartridges are not thrown
into the magazine in a loose form. but
lie one above the other. without the pos
sibility of placing them wrongly ; the
magazine can be attached or not at will.
all parts are solid, no spiral spring exists
in the rifie-the price of my weapon,
with ROYALTY and everything else. will b.
under f2 Every old system. with the
exception of Werndrs. can BE- used for
transformation into my rifle at a cost of
S.. to l0s--less in the case of the Gras,
Mauser. Berdan. or Beaumont. and some
thing more in the case OF the Henry
Martini.
And how can you make any inven-
ton, especially such complicated one
as a rifle, without. unfortunately, being
able To see the separate parts. and how
are your devices carried out by the
workmen? - see with my fingers.
and not in one single case have they de-
ceived me. Its really curious that when
great or minute measurements are in
question those who see with their eyes
are wrong, and 1, with the use of my
fingers. am right. The models for my
machines against oxidation Of metals
were entirely made by myself from
carved wood, with the help of string,
wire. and bread crumb. / am now de-
wishing very complicated electric APP
parafus.